Making Magic - The Power of the Goal

Holistic Management International is famous in circles of agriculture and environmental entities alike for its Holistic Goal, a written statement of the management team’s vision for success and sustainability that includes the values behind the code of conduct, the activities that bring joy and prosperity and the vision of land in optimum health. Our history as a nation and as a species is full of tales of triumph over impossible odds to achieve unbelievable goals. Yet the doers of those great deeds did believe. Henry Ford was one of those doers. He left us with important words of wisdom (as well as awesome pickups),

and

Your goal is your

springboard to success

. Whether you picture a universe where God sits in heaven ready to answer your prayers or a universe where your thoughts, words and deeds themselves manifest your reality, it is difficult to ignore the power of the goal.

Just the fact that

you have thought about your goal enough to put it into words

is a big step toward realizing it. Perhaps you have revised it and distilled it until you feel it represents whom you really are and where you want to go precisely.

Now add focus and passion

.

Develop a strong and specific vision

of where you are going and visit it often. Give God and/or the universe a clear picture of your desire. You might have fun giving the words in your goal some visualization by gathering your team at the kitchen table with a stack of old magazines, scissors and glue sticks. Have everyone look quickly through the magazines; tearing out pages with images they intuitively connect to the team goal. Now trim the images with scissors and glue or staple them to poster board or a sheet of newspaper, arranging them in a handsome collage. Post it where your team can use it often to help

visualize the goal

.

Think about the goal often

, as well, and

talk about it as a group

.

Take action deliberately toward the goal

. Understand the power of belief and of thought, word and deed. Find the passion behind the words of your goal.

What is your purpose in choosing to achieve this quality of life, these forms of production and this future resource base?

Embrace change and

be the change you expect

. If you do the things you’ve always done, you’ll get the results you’ve always gotten. Find a role model who has been successful at what you want to do and ask questions. The questions we ask determine the thoughts that fuel our actions.

If you want positive results, ask positive questions

. “How can I work less and earn more?” will set you to thinking drastically different thoughts than, “Why is my life so hard?”

Don’t give up. If one way doesn’t work, try another,